Hamilton struggle in constantly answering ‘clear cries for help’

Ian Parkes
Monday 26 December 2022 13:00

Lewis Hamilton has made clear he can only offer so much of himself as he attempts to respond to the multiple cries for help he receives on a daily basis.

Hamilton has long been an activist but since taking up the 'Black Lives Matter' cause following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020, the seven-time F1 champion thrust himself into the global spotlight.

Over time, Hamilton has nobly fought for diversity and inclusion in the workplace, primarily in motorsport, initially setting up the Hamilton Commission in June 2020 aimed at increasing the number of Black people.

Hamilton then helped Mercedes set up Accelerate 25, a five-year programme that set a target of 25 percent of all new starters on the team should come from under-represented groups.

Last year, Hamilton founded Mission 44, a charitable foundation seeking to transform the lives of young people from underserved backgrounds by narrowing opportunity gaps in education and employment.

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Understandably, Hamilton has become a go-to figure for other causes and charities seeking his patronage to further their own aims.

The 37-year-old is doing all he can but concedes he has to pick and choose.

"There are so many things that I'll see and I'm like 'Shoot', and it hits a nerve," said Hamilton, speaking to this writer in a recent interview for The New York Times.

"You're like 'Okay, I'll speak out'. I speak about a lot of different things. Caring is a good thing, and it doesn't matter what it is you're caring about. I personally think you can care for as many things as you want.

"But I'm definitely finding you can't do everything and you're only one person. I've definitely learned how to really narrow it down and put as much energy and focus into a particular area."

Hamilton recalled attending a function at the British Embassy in Brasilia prior to the São Paulo Grand Prix in November during which he says he met with "so many different people from different NGOs [non-governmental organisations] telling me the things they're fighting for".

He added: "In that moment, I was like 'I want to learn more about it', so I'll go away and read about it. I'm going to be on so many flights reading about what these different NGOs are doing.

"I'm being asked every day, multiple times in the day, to be ambassadors for so many different organisations. There's this clear cry for help. There are so many people trying to do big important things and impactful things.

"I've just got to remember there's only so much of me, and so what I just try to do is praise them. Hopefully, that brings more eyes, and maybe me being there also helps bring eyes to what they're doing."